Low profile size adjustable protective helmet

ABSTRACT

A low profile protective helmet comprising a rigid shell lined with shock absorbing material, the shell being made up of separate front, center, and rear portions with the sides of the front and rear portions adjustably mounted in cantilever fashion on the sides of the center portion. The center portion is provided with a channel in its outer surface to receive the headband of a communications headset. The adjustable mounting enables the front and rear portions to be selectively mounted to provide a good fit over a range of head sizes and shapes. The front and rear edges of the center portion are provided with integral extensions which telescope with the adjacent edges of the front and rear portions to close the opening between the center portion and the front and rear portions throughout the range of adjustment. The shell may be formed of ballistic material or an outer shell of ballistic material may be worn over the helmet.

United/States Patent Durand [4 1 May 30, 1972 [72] lnventorf Philip E.Durand, Hudson, Mass.

[73] Assignee: The

, represented by the Secretary of the Army [22] Filed: Sept. 22, 1970[21] Appl.No.: 74,348

[52] U.S. Cl. ..2/3 R, 2/6

[51] Int. Cl. ..A42b H08 [58] Field of Search ..2/3 R, 3 A, 3 B, 3 C, 6,209; 179/156 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,486,16912/1969 Rawlings .....2/3 R 3,579,637 5/1971 Aileo ..2/3 R 3,204,2519/1965 Child..... ....2/3 R 3,105,240 10/1963 .lansson ..2/3 R 3,023,1342/1962 Cresswell et al. 4.2/6

2,861,274 11/1958 Stuart et al.

3,148,376 9/1964 Aileo 3,514,787 6/1970 Kennedy,Jr. ..L ..2/3R

United States of America as FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 3/1959Germany ..2/3 R Primary Examiner-James R. Boler Attorney-Harry M.Saragovitz, Edward .1. Kelly, Herbert Berl and Charles F. Murphy 57ABSTRACT A low profile protective helmet comprising a rigid shell linedwith shock absorbing material, the shell being made up of separatefront, center, and rear portions with the sides of the front and rearportions adjustably mounted in cantilever 'fashion on the sides of thecenter portion. The center portion is provided with a channel in itsouter surface to receive the headband of a communications headset. Theadjustable mounting enables the front and rear portions to beselectively mounted to provide a good fit over a range of head sizes andshapes. The front and rear edges of the center portion are provided withintegralextensions which telescope with the adjacent edges of the frontand rear portions to close the opening between the center portion andthe front and rear portions throughout the range of adjustment. Theshell may be formed of ballistic material or an outer shell of ballisticmaterial may be worn over the helmet.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTEDMY 30 1972 3,665,514

sum 10F 2 000 o o a?! PATENTEUMM30 I972 3,665,514

sum 2 OF 2 l'zwezziofl:

mad W j 1% I 01% megs LOW PROFILE SIZE ADJUSTABLE PROTECTIVE HELIVIETBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to protective helmetsfor the human head and more particularly, to a helmet providing burnpand ballistic protection for use in a confined space in conjunction witha communications headset.

Crewmen of combat vehicles used in military operations such as tanks andthe like require some form of protection for their heads since they arefrequently jostled about within a very confined space which includesnumerous projections offering a potential bump hazard to the head. Theoperation of the vehicle and its related combat equipment cause a veryhigh ambient noise level which requires that the crewmen use radiocommunications, both for internal and external communications. Further,because the crewmen may be required to leave the vehicle in a combatsituation, it is desirable that their protective headgear also providesome degree of ballistic protection. Existing helmets for this purposeare of the same general type as those worn by football players andpilots. They comprise an oversize rigid shell with portions extendingover the ears. They are supported on the head, either by an adjustablesuspension system of fabric webbing, or by the use of shock absorbingmaterial and selected sizing pads. Communications equipment is mounteddirectly on the helmet with the ear pads supported by the portionsof thehelmet which cover the ears. Such helmets are extremely bulky because ofthe space required between the suspension system or sizing pads and theshell to permit the accommodation of a reasonable range of head sizesand shapes and the space required within theear covering portions toaccommodate ear pads and their supporting structure. The helmets areheavy and because the shell is spaced an appreciable distance from thehead, they are often unstable on the head. They also present a seriousnoise problem since the ear covering portions of the shell tend toaggravate the already serious ambient noise level by forming an echochamber around the ears. The bulk of these helmets may seriously limithead movement by the crewmen in the very confined space within thevehicle and, at best, presents difficult design problems in providingcompatibility with various optical sighting devices which are locatedwithin the vehicle for use by the crewmen.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention comprises a helmet embodying arigid shell I lined with shock absorbing material, the shell being madeup of separate portions which may be rigidly joined together in aplurality of relative positions to permit the helmet to be fittedclosely to a range of head sizes and shapes. The shell portions areprovided with integral extensions which telescope with adjacent portionsto close the space between adjacent portions over the range ofadjustment therebetween. The shell portions are conformed to leave theears of the wearer exposed such that a conventional communicationsheadset may be worn in conjunction with the helmet and a channel isprovided in the outer surface of the shell to receive the headband ofsuch a headset.

Because of its adjustable features, the helmet provides a close fit withthe head and thus an absolute minimum profile consistent with the amountof shock absorbing material required. The exposure of the ears not onlyeliminates noise attenuation problems caused by the ear coveringportions of prior art helmets, but permits the use of a separateconventional type headset without limiting the size of the ear padswhich may be necessary for sound attenuation. The use of a separateheadset permits ready removal of the headset with its additional weightand bulk during periods when it is not needed. The close fit of thehelmet minimizes the weight of the helmet itself, provides excellentstability of the helmet on the head, and in combination with the use ofa separate headset, eliminates problems in attaining and maintainingoptimal location of the ear pads on the head.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevation of thehelmet of the present invention in combination with a conventionalcommunications headset.

FIG. 2 is a central longitudinal section of the helmet, with thecommunications headset removed, showing the shock ab sorbing materialand the telescoping relationship between the separate portions of thehelmet.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of the helmet showing the details ofthe adjustable mounting system.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken along Line 4-4 of FIG. 3, showing thearrangement of shock absorbing material on the inside of the helmetshell.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the helmet with a ballistic overshell inplace thereon.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The protective helmet of thepresent invention, designated generally by numeral 10, comprises ahelmet shell assembly 1 l and a conventional releasable chin strap 12.The helmet is particularly adapted for use with a conventionalcommunications headset 13 as seen in FIG. 1. The headset 13 comprises ahead band 14 which extends over the top of the head and supportsan-earpad 15 mounted on each end thereof in firm engagement with thewearers head aroung the ears. The ears themselves are received withinthe earpad which carries a conventional earphone for transmitting soundto the ears. A microphone boom 16 may be mounted on the exterior of oneof the earpads in a conventional manner.

The helmet shell assembly 11 is comprised of an outer shell 17 of asubstantially rigid impact resistant material with a lining of shockabsorbing material 18 fixed to the inner surface thereof in a manner tobe described. The outer shell 17 is formed by three separate sections, acenter or principal section 19, afront section 20 and a rear section 21.The center section 19 covers the central portion of the top of thewearers head from a point above the car on one side of the head to apoint above the ear on the other side of the head as best shown in FIGS.1 and 3, The front section 20 is mounted in cantilever fashion on thesides of the center section 19 in a manner to be described and coversthe upper frontal portion of the head. The rear section 21 is mounted onthe sides of center portion 19 in similar fashion and covers the back ofthe head. The sides of all three sections are configured to provide aclear area around the ear of the wearer of the helmet to assure that theear pads 15 of communications headset 13 can be maintained infirmcontact with the area of the head around the ear while the helmet isbeing worn.

The outer surface of center section 19 is provided with a channel 22therein as shown in FIG. 3 to receive the headband 14 of headset 13 asshown in FIG. 1. Channel 22 not only serves to locate and maintain theheadset on the helmet shell assembly 11 but also minimizes thelikelihood of jarring the headband out of position by catching it onobjects within the vehicle as the wearer moves his head around.Accordingly, the depth of channel 22 should approximate the thickness ofthe headband 14.

The front and rear edges of the outer shell center section 19 areprovided with integral extensions 23 and 24 which are slightly offsetinwardly of the outer surface of the shell to engage under the rear edgeof front section 20 and the forward edge of back section 21,respectively, in telescoping relationship therewith for a purpose to bedescribed.

The side portions of center section 19 include integral front and rearextensions 25 as shown typically in FIG. 3. These extensions areprovided in the sides of the front section 20, and also in the sides ofthe rear section 21. Thus, the hole 27 in the front section and rearsection may be aligned with a pair of holes 26 in the respectiveextensions of the center section with the front section 20 and the rearsection 21 in six different positions relative to the center section 22and rigidly fastened in any of these positions by removable fasteners 28engaging in the aligned holes.

A conventional threaded screw and flanged internally threaded socket maybe used as fasteners 28 or other types of conventional fasteners may beused so long as they snugly engage in the aligned holes and are retainedtherein. In this regard it should be noted that size adjustment bychanging the relative positions of the helmet sections should normallybe required infrequently since a helmet is usually issued to a singleindividual and would be adjusted initially to fit his head. Thereafterthe need for adjustment should be minimal unless the helmet issubsequently issued to another individual whereupon the size adjustmentwould be repeated.

The shock absorbing lining 18 is comprised of two layers of shockabsorbing material over most of the inner surface of the outer shell 17as best shown in FIG. 2. The outer layer 29 comprises a relatively firmshock absorbing material, for example, a substantially rigid crushablepolystyrene bead material having a density of 4.5 pounds per cubic footand a thickness of about r inch. The inner layer 30 comprises arelatively soft cushioning material such as a resilient polyurethanefoam having a density of about 1 pound per cubic foot. The thickness ofthe inner layer 30 may be about three-eighths of an inch in those areaswhich are also covered by the outer layer and an inch or more in otherareas as hereinafter described. The inside surface of the inner layer 30of shock absorbing material is preferably covered with soft leather 31or a similar material providing comfort and moisture absorptionproperties.

As best shown in FIG. 4, the outer layer 29 of shock absorbing materialextends over the inner surface of the top portions of the outer shellonly while the inner layer 30 extends over the outer layer 29 and alsoover the side portions of the outer shell. The thickness of the innerlayer of shock absorbing material on the side portions is increased toat least the combined thickness of the outer and inner layers over thetop portions of the shell and preferably somewhat greater than thiscombined thickness as shown in FIG. 4. This configuration of the shockabsorbing lining allows the helmet to comfortably accomodate areasonable range of head widths because of the compressability of therelatively soft cushioning material on the sides of the shell and inconjunction with the adjustability of the three shell sections extendsthe range of head sizes and shapes that may be accomodated by thehelmet.

The outer layer 29 of shock absorbing material may be cemented to theinner surface of the outer shell and the inner layer 30 cemented to theouter layer 29. The side portions of the inner layer 30 may be movableor removable to provide access to the inner portion of fasteners 28where the type of fastener used requires such access. This may beaccomplished by forming the inner layer of one continuous piece as shownin FIG. 4 which is fixed in place by cementing only those portions whichcontact the inner surface of the outer layer of shock absorbing materialleaving the side covering portions of the inner layer free to bedisplaced to provide access to the fasteners. It may also beaccomplished by using separate side portions which are releasablymounted by means of hook and pile fasteners (not shown). For thatmatter, such hook and pile fasteners may be used to attach all of theshock absorbing material to the shell thereby permitting readyreplacement of this material should it become damaged or soiled or whenreissuing the helmet to another person.

As shown in FIG. 2, the shock absorbing material 18 does not cover theentire inner surface of the helmet shell sections since clearance mustbe provided for the telescoping or overlapping of the front section 20and the rear section 21 with the extensions 23 and 24 on the front andrear edges of the center section 19 throughout the range of adjustmentbetween the sections. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, this isaccomplished by terminating the shock absorbing material a predetermineddistance away from the rear edge of the front section 20 and from thefront or forward edge of the rear section 21. It will also be apparentthat the inner surfaces of the side portions of the front section 20 andrear section 21 must be free of shock absorbing material where theyoverlap the side portions of center section 19 for mounting purposes.

The rigid impact resistant material comprising the outer shell 17 may bea suitable thermoplastic such as polycarbonate which will provide thedesired bump protection or may be a material which will provide bothbump and ballistic protection such as a nylon fabric and resin laminate.Where bump protection only is provided by the outer shell material, anover shell 31 of suitable ballistic material may be provided foroptional use when ballistic protection is desired as shown in FIG. 5.For example, within an armored vehicle only bump protection wouldnormally be required but when the crewmen has to leave the vehicle undercombat conditions the ballistic overshell could be added to the bumpprotective helmet. In this arrangement, the extra weight of theballistic protective material would not have to be borne except whensuch protection was required. The ballistic protective overshell 31 islined with a realtively soft resilient material such as the polyurethanefoam material used in the inner layer 30 of the shock absorbing materialwithin the helmet shell. This soft lining material permits the overshell to be properly fitted to the helmet shell over a range of sizeadjustments of the latter.

The invention described in detail in the foregoing specification issusceptible to changes in the details, materials, configuration, andarrangement of parts as may occur to persons skilled in the art and isnot limited to the precise details of construction as shown anddescribed herein. The terminology used in the specification is used forpurposes of description and not of limitation, the scope of theinvention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet for the human headcomprising a helmet body and a releasable chin strap for holding saidhelmet body on the head, said helmet body being comprised of a pluralityof sections each adapted to cover a portion of the head extending fromone side thereof to the other side thereof and being conformed to leavethe ears and the portions of the head immediately around the earsuncovered by said helmet, each of said sections comprising asubstantially rigid outer shell having shock absorbing material fixed toportions of the inner surface thereof, said sections in cluding aprincipal section adapted to extend over the top of the head from apoint above one ear to a point above the other ear and at least oneother section adapted to cover a portion of the head not covered by saidprincipal section and adjustably mounted on said principal section, thelower portions of said sections being joined together on each side ofthe head in cantilever fashion by fastening means which provide for asubstantially rigid joint in each of a plurality of positionscorresponding to a plurality of head sizes and shapes, and saidprincipal section being provided with a channel in the outer surfacethereof extending transversely thereof from one side of said section tothe other side thereof, said channel being adapted to receive theheadband of a communication head set therein.

2. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 whereinsaid sections comprise a front section adapted to cover the frontalportion of the upper head, said principal section adapted to cover thetop and sides of the head and a rear section adapted to cover the rearportion of the head, said principal section being provided with anintegral extension on the forward and rear edges thereof adapted totelescope with the rear edge of the front section and the forward edgeof the rear section respectively, to close the opening between sectionsthroughout the range of adjustment therebetween.

3. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet as in claim 2 whereinsaid shock absorbing material in said section adjoining said extensionis spaced from the edge of said section to provide clearance for saidextension throughout the range of adjustment between said adjoiningsections.

4. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 whereinsaid fastening means comprise a plurality of removable fasteners adaptedto engage in openings provided in the lower portions of the sides ofsaid sections, at least one of said sections being provided with anexcess of openings in spaced relation whereby said fasteners may beselectively engaged in more than one set of openings to adjust the sizeof said helmet.

5. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 whereinsaid rigid outer shell is comprised of a ballistic material. I

6. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 whereinsaid helmet is provided with a removable outer shell formed of ballisticmaterial.

7. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet for the human headcomprising a helmet body and a releasable chin strap for holding saidhelmet body on the head, said helmet body being comprised of a pluralityof sections each adapted to cover a portion of the head extending fromone side thereof to the other side thereof and being conformed to leavethe ears and the portions of the head immediately around the earsuncovered by said helmet, each of said sections comprising asubstantially rigid outer shell having shock absorbing material fixed toportions of the inner surface thereof, said sections in eluding aprincipal section adapted to extend over the top of the head from apoint above one ear to a point above the other ear and at least oneother section adapted to cover a portion of the head not covered by saidprincipal section and adjustably stantially rigid joint in each of aplurality of positions corresponding to a plurality of head sizes andshapes, said shock absorbing material fixed to the inner surface ofthose portions of said shell extending over the sides of the head beingmore readily compressible than said shock absorbing material fixed tothe inner surface of those portions of the shell extending over the top,front and back of the head whereby head sizes of varying width may beaccommodated by said helmet.

8. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 whereinsaid shock absorbing material comprises a layer of relatively firmmaterial fixed to the inner surface of the shell over the portionsthereof which cover the top, front and back of the head and a layer ofrelatively soft cushioning material covering said relatively firmmaterial and extending over the inner surface of the side portions ofsaid shell, the thickness of said relatively soft material extendingover said side portions of the shell being at least equal to thecombined thickness of the two layers of shock absorbing material fixedto the top portions of the shell.

9. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet as in claim 8 whereinthe thickness of said relatively soft material extending over the sideportions of the shell is greater than the combined thickness of the twolayers of shock absorbing material fixed to the top portions of theshell.

1. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet for the human headcomprising a helmet bodY and a releasable chin strap for holding saidhelmet body on the head, said helmet body being comprised of a pluralityof sections each adapted to cover a portion of the head extending fromone side thereof to the other side thereof and being conformed to leavethe ears and the portions of the head immediately around the earsuncovered by said helmet, each of said sections comprising asubstantially rigid outer shell having shock absorbing material fixed toportions of the inner surface thereof, said sections including aprincipal section adapted to extend over the top of the head from apoint above one ear to a point above the other ear and at least oneother section adapted to cover a portion of the head not covered by saidprincipal section and adjustably mounted on said principal section, thelower portions of said sections being joined together on each side ofthe head in cantilever fashion by fastening means which provide for asubstantially rigid joint in each of a plurality of positionscorresponding to a plurality of head sizes and shapes, and saidprincipal section being provided with a channel in the outer surfacethereof extending transversely thereof from one side of said section tothe other side thereof, said channel being adapted to receive theheadband of a communication head set therein.
 2. A low profile sizeadjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 wherein said sectionscomprise a front section adapted to cover the frontal portion of theupper head, said principal section adapted to cover the top and sides ofthe head and a rear section adapted to cover the rear portion of thehead, said principal section being provided with an integral extensionon the forward and rear edges thereof adapted to telescope with the rearedge of the front section and the forward edge of the rear sectionrespectively, to close the opening between sections throughout the rangeof adjustment therebetween.
 3. A low profile size adjustable protectivehelmet as in claim 2 wherein said shock absorbing material in saidsection adjoining said extension is spaced from the edge of said sectionto provide clearance for said extension throughout the range ofadjustment between said adjoining sections.
 4. A low profile sizeadjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 wherein said fastening meanscomprise a plurality of removable fasteners adapted to engage inopenings provided in the lower portions of the sides of said sections,at least one of said sections being provided with an excess of openingsin spaced relation whereby said fasteners may be selectively engaged inmore than one set of openings to adjust the size of said helmet.
 5. Alow profile size adjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 wherein saidrigid outer shell is comprised of a ballistic material.
 6. A low profilesize adjustable protective helmet as in claim 1 wherein said helmet isprovided with a removable outer shell formed of ballistic material.
 7. Alow profile size adjustable protective helmet for the human headcomprising a helmet body and a releasable chin strap for holding saidhelmet body on the head, said helmet body being comprised of a pluralityof sections each adapted to cover a portion of the head extending fromone side thereof to the other side thereof and being conformed to leavethe ears and the portions of the head immediately around the earsuncovered by said helmet, each of said sections comprising asubstantially rigid outer shell having shock absorbing material fixed toportions of the inner surface thereof, said sections including aprincipal section adapted to extend over the top of the head from apoint above one ear to a point above the other ear and at least oneother section adapted to cover a portion of the head not covered by saidprincipal section and adjustably mounted on said principal section, thelower portions of said sections being joined together on each side ofthe head in cantilever fashion by fastening means which provide for asubstantially rigid joint in each of a pluralIty of positionscorresponding to a plurality of head sizes and shapes, said shockabsorbing material fixed to the inner surface of those portions of saidshell extending over the sides of the head being more readilycompressible than said shock absorbing material fixed to the innersurface of those portions of the shell extending over the top, front andback of the head whereby head sizes of varying width may be accommodatedby said helmet.
 8. A low profile size adjustable protective helmet as inclaim 1 wherein said shock absorbing material comprises a layer ofrelatively firm material fixed to the inner surface of the shell overthe portions thereof which cover the top, front and back of the head anda layer of relatively soft cushioning material covering said relativelyfirm material and extending over the inner surface of the side portionsof said shell, the thickness of said relatively soft material extendingover said side portions of the shell being at least equal to thecombined thickness of the two layers of shock absorbing material fixedto the top portions of the shell.
 9. A low profile size adjustableprotective helmet as in claim 8 wherein the thickness of said relativelysoft material extending over the side portions of the shell is greaterthan the combined thickness of the two layers of shock absorbingmaterial fixed to the top portions of the shell.